I am in the process of having a house built. During the backfill the block was damaged. The damage is on the corner of the house and has wide cracks and bulging and busted block. The builder did nothing and the concrete was poured and now the framing is nearing completion. After telling him that something needed to be done he told me it was no big deal but he would fix it. His fix was mortar. Can someone please tell me if this is an actual fix or just a bandaid?
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Is the block part of the foundation? A photo would be a big help too.
It is and I just uploaded a photo
“[Deleted]”
Heather,
No photo appears.
Photo
This is how it was fixed. With mortar.
It wasn't fixed at all, it was patched which just won't do. That's a serious structural corner and is already leaning out. It all needs to be torn out and repaired. Apparently, you didn't hire a builder at all. Stick to your guns and/or hire an engineer at his expense.
The builder is having an engineer come out tomorrow morning. I think he was hoping because I’m a female I wouldn’t know that this was a big deal and would have just tried to cover it up. I talked to multiple other contractors who said it is not ok to just mortar over it. And now they have almost all framing complete.
Good call on having the engineer come out. Its not too late to fix this properly even after the framing is done the repair can still be made.
So the engineer came and said nothing needs to be done. He said he wasn’t worried about anything structural at all. I still feel extremely uneasy about it. He said he will be typing up a full report and I will have a copy.
google up the engineer's name and verify he or she is licensed in your state.
You can also feel free to hire another engineer to come and give you a second opinion.
Are you going to bury this wall?
And keep in mind that houses built where earthquakes are common have stricter requirements.
No brick will end up covering the block. The engineer said the only thing he was worried about was water retaining right there because it’s bulged out some. He said the builder needed to file the brick down so that it is level and won’t get any water build up. He said he felt good about it because around the corner was plumb. He said since it was filled with concrete in good. I definitely just don’t feel good still. But I’ll have documentation saying he said it was ok so if something ever happens I’ll have that
I’m going to call the lawyer in the morning and make sure the pdf that he’s planning on sending me will hold up in court if something does happen.
Make sure that the engineer signs and seals his written report with his PE stamp. That will make him fully accountable for what's contained therein.
He said he would be emailing a pdf copy. Is a pdf not good enough? Should I get the written report too?
Signing and sealing of drawing and reports is done by the engineer to show that work has been done by a qualified and licensed engineer, and that the engineer is taking professional responsibility for the work done. This is a legal requirement in most jurisdictions.
Generally, a PDF copy of a report is not sufficient unless it is controlled by some Digital Rights and eSignature control system, that can prevent altering the PDF, and the seal and signature can be traced back to the engineer. This is usually provided by a 3rd party that validates the authenticity and provides traceability. i.e. Docusign, Hellosign, Pandadoc...and many others.
If the emailed report is just a pdf without proper electronic security, it is not sufficient and you need to get a properly signed and sealed paper copy. The signature and seal must be original, not a photocopy.
The building inspector will likely need a properly signed and sealed report. I can't imagine that passing inspection without some supporting documents.
Your insurance company may need one as well.
Did I read correctly that the engineer is coming at the request of the builder, and that implies the builder selected them? If this was mine, I'd get my own engineer. And I'd probably not trust much else the builder says.
I agree with Mikeljon, that the building selected a buddy to come and give a biased opinion. It's time for a second opinion from an unbiased source, and a proper repair!
Also, the building inspector should be your advocate on this problem. Stop by the local building department for a discussion to enlist support!!! The problem shouldn't be that difficult to fix by a qualified mason...
Setting aside the question of why this wasn't fixed between backfill when it happened and grouting the wall (I assume that the slab was poured at the same time.), it could well be that fixing it now could be worse than leaving it. There is probably vertical and horizontal steel in the wall. Removing the block and grout could structurally compromise these. Certification by a licensed engineer should be satisfactory as to structure and brick veneer should fix any cosmetic defects. In providing an engineering report the contractor has done what should be expected of him.
As an old Mason work looks bad I think you should contact an attorney. I would have trouble trusting your builder.